Always
by Dulcea Viata
Summary: The battle had ended and evil defeated. Love and hope and goodness had triumphed. But even this was not enough for one lost and lonely girl. A girl whose heart was about to be broken beyond repair. Filled with a deep pain that would never go away.


**Hello people of Fanfiction :) This idea just popped into my head last night so I decided to wirte it down and see what you guys think :)**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated and if anyone would be interested in writing a joint-story or something, or has any ideas for a new fanfic, let me know :)**

**Anyways, enjoy :) DV x**

**Always**

All was quiet.

All was still.

The battle had ended and evil defeated. Love and hope and goodness had triumphed. But even this was not enough for one lost and lonely girl. A girl whose heart was about to be broken beyond repair. Filled with a deep pain that would never go away.

The bodies of the dead were lying in the middle of the Great Hall, one lying next to another. She saw the bodies of students, teachers, friends. The bodies of those who would never see the sun rise in a new world of freedom. In a world they had helped to create.

Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were lying side-by-side, fingers only centimetres apart. Their son Teddy wouldn't even remember them. Would never know what it was like to have a proper family. To be tucked into bed at night by your mother, or be taught to ride a bike by your father. She had seen what this could do to even the strongest of people.

She saw the body of Colin Creevy, a Gryffindor, who never ceased to trail after Harry. But he'd never get a chance to see his finest hour. He'd had his whole life ahead of him, house to buy, a family to raise. But now he never would. Was it really worth all this.

And then she saw him. Her beautiful, amazing, irreplaceable love. Her best friend. Her soul mate. She fell to her knees by his side and laid a hand on his cheek. She moved her thumb over his eyelid, as if to wipe away a tear. Just like he had done so many times before, when she just couldn't be strong anymore. He'd wrap his arms around her, cradling her, whispering words of comfort into her ear. Who would hold her now?

She lifted his hand and intertwined their fingers, just as he had so many times before. His fingers, that on more than one occasion had silenced her whispering lips, as they hid in the shadows of the castle, hiding their love from the world.

She kissed his stone cold lips, tears streaming down her face. Just as they had been when he first kissed her, only these had been tears of joy not sadness. Knowing that he would never kiss her again, that they would never share a stolen moment in a deserted corridor or empty classroom, that they would never share a secret embrace again, made her hurt even more than she had thought possible.

She lay her head upon his chest, remembering the frantic beating of his heart and her own as they had lain in the light in the moon. _"I love you," _he'd whispered. _"I love you too," _she'd whispered back. The thought of never hearing his pure heart beat again, to never hear it beating in time with her own, crushed her very soul. Her heart belonged to him. It always had. It always would.

She buried her face in his unmoving chest, as the tears began to stream down her face once more, and the sobs escaped her throat. She felt her heart break inside, felt it breaking into a hundred pieces.

Her heart.

His heart.

Their heart.

"Hermione?" a voice came from behind her, thick with tears. She lifted her tear-stained face to see Ron, standing with tears in his eyes and blood on his face. He knelt down beside her, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"But… he…" she tried to speak, but words had failed her.

"I know," he said, stroking her hair, and whispering in her ear, just as he had. She began sobbing again, burying her face in his chest, feeling the beating of his heart. The heart he had given her, but she in turn had not given him her's, because it was no longer her's to give.

"Come on." He stood up and reached out a hand. She looked at it and then back at the keeper of her heart. She took his hand, and somehow managed to walk away with his arm around her shoulders, despite the urge to never leave.

He could never know what happened.

He could never know the way she felt.

He would never be her Fred.

She turned back to face him. "Always…" she whispered.


End file.
